God's Battalions The Case For The Crusades [Paperback]

The truth about the Christian Crusades and Muslim Jihad.

GODS BATTALIONS launches a frontal assault on the comfortable myths that scholars have popularized about the crusades. The results are startling. His greatest achievement is to make us see the crusaders on their own terms.At last, a convincing, balanced book on the Crusades, far from the recent unsophisticated and ideological diatribes against them as A Bad Thing. Rodney Stark demonstrates that the Crusades were neither unprovoked nor colonialist. Here is yet another rich and readable book from this thoughtful and distinguished author.An excitingly readable distillation of the new, revisionist Crusades historiography.There is much to be learned here. Filled with fascinating historical glimpses of monks and Templars, priests and pilgrims, kings and contemplatives, Stark pulls it all together and challenges us to reconsider our view of the Crusades.[Starks] new book, Gods Battalions: The Case for the Crusades, gives historic and sociological evidence for a fresh assessment of the Crusades.[Stark] wants to challenge the prevailing television pundit-level misunderstanding of the Crusades, and in this, his accessible, enjoyably argued book succeeds.Award-winning author and sociologist Rodney Stark humbly goes to war against the many politically correct myths surrounding the history of the Crusades in this well-researched and easy-to-read academic masterpiece. Stark proves himself once again as a historical myth-buster.[Stark] makes the case [for the crusades] with admirable frankness and flair.Rodney Stark turns what we know about history on its head.Starks style is clear and direct. He sets the pace of narrative masterfully...The result is a good read...Christian readers should welcome Starks affirmation of the best in scholarship, both old and new, and his willingness to argue a controversial position.Starks wonderfully readable prose and politically incorrect conclusions... plC&